Big Bang
by Pharaoh-Ink
Summary: You have a choice in this world to either be a light, perish in the flames, or be the one holding the match. Negaduck wants the city to burn, and the person he's commissioned to do it has a lot riding on succeeding. Failure isn't an option. An origin story for Red Nova.
1. Chapter 1

The city of St. Canard never slept, and partly due to the simple fact that it was a magnet for high levels of criminal activity. The criminals were everything from run-of-the-mill thieves to costumed, elaborate spectacles of entertaining, murdering psychopaths. Things never seemed to change here, it had been run this way for at least twenty years, and no matter what came and went, no matter what promises politicians made to clean up the city, it always fell through, and things remained on the decline.

You either beat it, or join it. Nobody had beaten it yet.

The Scapelli family decided long ago that it wasn't going to lie in the muck, it would rise above it, even through the dirtiest of means. Tony 'Trigger' Scapelli was patriarch and business man of the seedy underbelly of St. Canard. He ran the casinos, clubs- laundered money and filtered it through legitimate businesses. Though even if anyone came close to doing something about it, change didn't come easily within the city. Even the police had trouble keeping loyal cops on the payroll. It was so much easier to just turn your head and look away.

With a name like Scapelli, she had a lot to live up to. She thought about how much her father had supported the city, when the mayor watched it crumble away and did nothing. Her father gave people jobs, breathed life back into businesses. Sure, his ways weren't always the most tactful, but he was always honest. He was a better man than most she had met in her life. He was truthful about who he was and what he did, and how he did it. He owned up to his sins.

But that didn't make him a good person. That didn't make him a hero. That didn't make him right.

What did that make her?

She was just supplying people with ways to protect themselves, right? What they did with what she sold them was their business. She didn't put a gun into anyone's hand and force them to shoot it. It wasn't anything personal. Why did she have to feel badly about the actions of others? She didn't. She wouldn't. She made weapons because she liked inventing them. Why shouldn't she make money off of what she was good at?

"Boss. You got a visitor."

The woman sat up in her seat, eyes lazily flickering over her glasses towards the door, where one of her bouncers stood. Her nose scrunched up, and she waved a hand through the air.

"Put that cigar out, it stinks. Who's smoking?"

" _That'd be me._ "

The voice that came crawling towards her from the doorway was enough to make her skin crawl. It just oozed malice to the core. She sat up straighter then, squinting into the dim hallway, and out from the bouncer's side squeezed a very familiar looking duck, a large brimmed hat and dramatic looking cape adorning him.

She instantly went pale, swallowing, and he strode up to her table, sinking down into a chair, dark eyes on her and making her feel as though one false movement might end up in a lost limb.

"Negaduck." A small twitch of a nervous smile spread over her mouth, and it was gone as quickly as it came. She drummed her fingers on the table before clasping them tightly together. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

His grin was much wider, seeing how she squirmed in her seat, and he leaned forward. "Glad you know who you're talking to, kid. I came to you for a specific reason, and you being aware of my line of work is crucial to what I want from you."

She gave a sharp nod to show she was listening, but all she could hear was the sound of the light buzzing above her. Boy, was it ever hot in here. He apparently brought hell with him when he walked in.

"I need you to build me something that'll blow this city off the map in a permanent sort of way. And I want Darkwing to go with it."

 _Darkwing_ , now there was a name that struck a chord. He was a persistent fella, always poking his beak where it didn't belong. Why couldn't he just go along with the program like everyone else? A lot of people thought his whole charade of dressing up and parading around the city only added to the growing chaos, as if his actions encouraged other costumed freaks to emerge. Maybe they had a point, but then again, maybe they just had a lot of wackos living here. With her sales in weaponry, she believed it.

"Alright, you have anything speci-" She started, but he held up a hand to cut her off abruptly.

"I came to you because you're supposedly the 'best'." He made quotations at her, raising a brow mockingly, "I don't know whether you really _are_ that good, but even if you ain't, you will be." Negaduck stood then, circling over to her. "Because whatever you give me, IS gonna be the best. It'll blow the city sky high, and if it DOESN'T..." He grabbed her chair, yanking it back and peering into her frozen features. "I'll blow YOU sky high. You got that, kid?"

She forgot how to breathe for a moment before nodding. "So. So you're good with anything then, is that...is that what I'm hearing?"

"You make something worthy of my name, or-"

"Or you blow me sky high, that part I did hear, yeah."

"Oh good, I thought I'd have to repeat myself again." He let the back of the chair go, and her along with it, sending it crashing back to the floor.

She groaned as she felt the heavy thud of a headache forming where her skull landed against the floor, and she blinked up at the ceiling, hearing his footsteps against the creaking floorboards.

"You got two weeks."

"T-TWO?!" She sat up so quickly, it only added to her swimming head pain. "You gave me enough time to blink, is that it?! This kinda thing takes time, man, you can't rush perfection!"

"Who's asking for perfection? How hard is it to give me something that'll wipe out a city. Maybe I made a mistake coming here, to some hack who ain't even worthy of the name her daddy gave her."

She pushed herself to her feet, dusting herself off. "I'm a lot of things, but don't you ever say I'm a hack. I'm more than just my father's daughter. I don't need his name to prove myself."

"Yet you fling it around when it's useful, am I right? 'Course I'm right. You use his reputation."

"I'm good at what I do." She reiterated, her eyes blazing with anger.

Negaduck looked unimpressed, giving her a shrug as he flicked his cigar to the floor, stuffing a hand into the pocket of his coat. "Then prove it." He didn't await her answer, if there was one, and left her there. It seemed more of a threat than a challenge.

She glared at the spot he had stood in for a little longer before retrieving her chair, setting it up to plop back down into it tiredly.

"Great, now it reeks in here."

* * *

One week had practically flown by, she might as well have been waiting for the countdown to her execution. He hadn't specified anything specific and yet had managed to ask so much of her. She needed more time, that was a definite. The rest she could pull off maybe, somehow. She'd think about it later, with all the time she'd have, because Negaduck surely would see some kind of logic and reasoning to her request.

She stood outside of a large warehouse close to Audubon Bay, which wasn't suspicious simply because there were so many abandoned facilities in the area. She hoped she'd knocked on the right one at least.

" _WHOOOOO'S THEEEEEEERE?!_ "

Maybe she should recant that.

"Uhhh." She stared up at the metal siding. "It's a pizza delivery. Someone in there ordered a triple cheese with mushrooms."

"OOH, DID THEY?! Wait, no one asked me what topping I wanted! I can't believe you guys!" There was a loud whine. Then a very large door slid open, revealing a loudly dressed individual.

"...Hey! You don't have any pizza!"

"It's true, I'm a sham, I'm afraid. I'm here to see your boss, Negaduck."

"Pffft! He's not our boss." The large duck waved it off, as if it was the most offensive thing anyone had ever said to him. "Not mine, anyway. We just let him pretend, to stroke his big ego." The duck was all colors and teeth, and taller than most people. It was a little intimidating, to stare down a grown man dressed as a clown with no qualms about it whatsoever. He was a child's nightmare!

"Soooo, I didn't get your actual name, lady. Negsy's gonna wanna know who came to see him, y'know."

She nearly spat a laugh, forcing herself to hold back. "He lets you call him that?"

"It's better than Lemon-Drop. That one earned me a black eye once!"

She finally relented, "Fine, since you're the self appointed receptionist. Tell him Ellie Scapelli is here, with blueprints, for his new toy."

"TOY?!" He reeled back, placing a hand to his chest, mortified. "He hired a toymaker?! The NERVE! If he wanted a new toy, all he had to do was ask me! I've never even heard of you! What kind of toys could you possibly make, huh, those brain-numbing discs that Whiffle-Barf puts out, gluing kids to their televisions all day!?"

She looked on in confusion, "Hey now, I'm not a TOYMAKER, it was just bad wording on my part! I'm a weapons specialist, I make and deal weapons for the black market. Didn't mean to upset you or anything, geez."

The jester looked pacified, but only slightly, eyes narrowed suspiciously before he upturned his large bill at her. "Upset? Moi? HAH! Hardly. Even if you did make toys, yours would pale in comparison to mine! There wouldn't be a reason for me to even be concerned, I'm the best there is!"

"Right, sure. And you are?"

"QUACKERJACK!" He yelled out, stomping a foot in frustration, which didn't serve as menacingly as he'd wanted it to, accompanied by a jingling sound from the bells he wore. "...You owned a toy of mine, surely?"

"Well. I'm sure I did." She grinned at him in a placating manner, but he wasn't buying it, sulking more. "I don't remember every toy I ever owned, buddy, and I had a gun in my hand by the time I was four. Not really the most colorful of childhoods."

"You kids and your guns." He scowled, turning to hop away from her. "All you brats want to do is shoot things! This is why everything's so topsy-turvy now!" He grabbed the ends of his hat, yanking them, and she took her cue to walk in, sliding the door closed.

"Right, yeah, it's us kids with our guns, not Bozo the Clown antics or megalomaniacs." She looked around as she spoke, noting the piles of electronics in the corner, a few old chairs and a mini fridge. The rest of the spacious area was dark and dipped into other rooms she guessed were just as large and vacant. "Not much for decoration, is he?"

"This isn't his place. This is just a temporary hideout. Changes every week!" Quackerjack flapped a hand at her. "Annnnnd, he's not here, also."

"...What do you mean he isn't here? That's why I'M here. You mean to tell me he went out?"

"Uh yeah. He went out like a half hour ago. Or an hour ago. Or a day ago. I didn't really pay attention to when he left, but he's definitely not back yet."

"Where did he go?!" She threw down her papers onto the table, a scowl forming. "I mean he's the one that commissioned this, and he doesn't even have the decency to give me half a second?"

"Thaaaaat's good ol' Negsy for ya!~" Quackerjack grinned at her, and plopped down on one of the chairs, kicking his legs over the side of it.

"So what am I supposed to do, WAIT here, like some dog?"

Quackerjack eyed her with a growing grin. "You could hang out with meeeee!~ You ARE a dog though, too, aren't you?"

She fixed him with an irritated look, "I'm real tired of the stereotyping dogs get, you know we aren't _that_ patient and loyal, that's a load of crock. And what if I don't want to wait around with you? Maybe I have things to do."

"Maybe you and I could play a game." He waggled his brows at her, and she looked horrified. "Not that kind of game, you sicko! This is a G-rated warehouse! Don't even flatter yourself, you're young enough to be my sister!"

"That doesn't even make sense, you can have sisters that are like one year younger, you realize that?"

"You're like a lot of one years put together though."

"...This is my cue to leave, I'm thinking. Tell Negaduck I stopped by, there's the blueprints, leaving them there. He just has to approve them, also tell him I _maaaaay_ need another week. You got all that, Quackers?"

He blew a loud raspberry at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Some henchman YOU are!"

"Hey, they don't just let ANYONE into the Fearsome Five, y'know! You have to be a really top tier villain!"

"And what are you, like, number forty-nine on the list? He couldn't get anyone else stupid or crazy enough to join, you just happened to be one of the few?"

"You're a rude little person, you know that?! The nerve!" The crazed mallard yanked a banana shaped doll from his pocket and waved it around, putting on a silly voice. " _'You don't even know who you're messin' with, Quackerjack's games have put people into the hospital, you know! He's a very competitive fella, Bella!~'_ "

"My name isn't Bella."

" _'See if I give a hoot, Scoot!'_ "

"Alright, I'm done, I'm not talking to a banana. I was here, I did my part, I dragged _my_ butt across town, he's just gonna have to deal with it, I got stuff to d-" Ellie swung around towards the door, slamming into something that gave her a rather painful shock. She jumped back with a yelp, her nerves on fire, and it took a moment for her to wonder what in the heck had just happened. There wasn't any carpeting in here, had she walked across a live wire or something? She shook herself out of the jolt, staring up at none other than the notorious Megavolt, which everyone knew because he was utterly insane, and he also continuously caused power problems throughout the city. So even when he wasn't being an electronics hoarding psychopath, he was just an inconvenience at the worst of times.

"Hey, watch it lady! Just what do you think you're doing here?" The rat snapped down at her irritably, before his sneer turned into a crooked grin. "Nice hair-do."

She frowned, glancing upwards at her hair, reaching up self consciously before feeling the static clinging to every strand, and Quackerjack howled with laughter from his spot. "Oh shut up!" She yelled over at him, trying to smooth down her locks in vain, face going scarlet. "Well, thanks for that. I was gonna go out today, but now I'll just settle for dunking my head in the bay."

"You might be better off just leaving it, do you even know what they pour into that water?" Megavolt stepped out of her way, snickering.

"Are you saying they're dumping chemicals into the bay? I'm shocked! How could this happen?" She replied with dramatics, before scowling, "I might as well become radioactive, I threw some papers into a warehouse in hopes that Negaduck will ever come back and see them, and I won't be anywhere close to being done with what he wants in another week! I might as well just end it here, he'll strangle me."

"He wouldn't strangle you." Quackerjack soothed, bouncing over. "Maim...break...burn...twist...crush...flatten...-"

"Unpleasant things, yes, we can surmise whatever he DOES do, it won't tickle."

"Seeeee? You should've hung out with me, MY activities could involve tickling!"

"Coming from you, a fate worse than death. Now if you'll exc- is he stroking that toaster?" She pointed to Megavolt, who was hunched over the pile of electronics in the corner, and he only clutched the item closer to himself.

"Mind your own business, lady! Geez, a guy can't have a moment alone?!"

"You can't be alone in a room with two other people in it."

"That's true, although, it's _three_ other people, you so rudely forgot Mr. Banana Brain."

"The only thing I wanted to really forget about today, yes." Ellie raked her hands through her hair in vain, "Whoever's the least crazy out of the two of you, please inform Negaduck that I was here, and please tell him he can reach me by the number I wrote on the blueprint. Okay? Goodbye. Hopefully, I won't be back." She gave them a salute, and started on her way back to the door, hefting it open.

"What were we supposed to say?" Megavolt replied, squinting distractedly into the toaster.

"Beats me, I wasn't listening!" Quackerjack began to laugh obnoxiously then, as Ellie pulled a water bottle from her car outside, dumping the contents over herself.


	2. Chapter 2

Ellie was met with a rude awakening- a foul smelling stench of smoke clogging her airway, and enraged, bloodshot eyes peering into hers. She jerked up, her hand fumbling for her gun tucked through her belt, but it was gone, taken. She felt the panic rising, and faintly heard a distinct ringing sound in the distance.

She jolted awake, searching around for the intruder, but he wasn't there. Quickly, she moved the hem of her shirt and felt for her gun still safely tucked away at her side, and she let out a huge breath. There never had been an intruder. "Just a dream, stupid..." She mustered up an anxious laugh before yelping again, the phone reminding her that it was still ringing.

She composed herself as best as she could, "Hello?"

" _I should've known you'd be sleeping on the job._ " A voice growled from the other end. She winced, running a hand through her hair. Not the nicest person to wake up from a bad dream to, that was for sure.

"I would never, I didn't. I just couldn't get to the phone in time." She sat up rigidly from her work station, wiping drool away with the back of her hand.

"You call that lying? If your ability to lie is anything like your ability to make weapons, we're gonna have some problems, aren't we, Scapelli?"

"You got my blueprints, didn't you? I hope, anyway. I left them in uh...the care of your lovely right hands. Your left and your right? Not sure how they rank, exactly."

" _Knobs_ , all of 'em." Negaduck replied dismissively. "And that's exactly why I'm calling."

"Do you want me to get started on building it?"

"I want you to scrap it."

"WHAT?!"

"All of it. I hate everything about it. I loathe the entire design. It won't work. Too puny."

"You didn't even give me a chance, I can make a prototype and show you. It WILL work. I just need more time."

"You're lucky I gave you any time at all. I don't want a stinkin' prototype. I want a weapon in my hands by next Saturday, and if you don't put it there, I'll get one from someone else, and you'll be my test dummy, got it?!"

Ellie tried to keep her response calm. People like Negaduck were just looking for an excuse to snap, not that a guy like him ever needed an excuse to kill someone. "Alright, I got it."

She almost thought he'd hung up, that's how quiet the other line had gone, but finally, "Good." He sounded pleased. Her stomach felt less like a hot air balloon filled with butterflies. "Now that we're on the same page again, I expect to see you in a few days, no complaints, no excuses."

"Okay. Uh- where, exactly?"

"Don't you worry about details, just do what I told you, Scapelli."

"I'll do that then."

The line was dead before she finished, and she sighed, dropping the phone onto her desk, rubbing at her eyes. She'd had difficult clients before, but this went beyond that. She doubted he'd even pay her for her time, truth be told, and with his temper and notorious killing streak, she had no protest. It was build it, or end up dead, and if anyone could manage to get a bullet into her head, it'd be him. Being a Scapelli meant nothing to the likes of villains like him.

"Boss, you okay?"

She jumped at the sound and turned, sighing exasperatedly at her bouncer. "You gotta stop creeping up on me like that, Biff, you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days. Or you'll end up with a bullet through you, either way."

"Sorry." The large Beagle looked apologetic briefly. "So didya get an extension, or what?"

"No. Not like I'm surprised, are you?"

"Not really." The Beagle sat down, starting to crack his knuckles. "Well if he comes in here, he's not gettin' passed me, you can count on 'dat, Boss."

"I appreciate it, Biff, but quite frankly, that kinda guy is not one worth messing around with. He doesn't operate on the same level as we do, heck, how half the criminals in the city operate. You either gotta kill a guy like that dead, or you'd better run to the wilderness and hide out there for the next thirty years."

"My cousins hid out in the countryside from Duckburg police. We could go there, if you needed to. I'm sure they'd let us crash. They're probably in the slammer by now anyway, so the hideout's sittin' there all useless."

She grinned, "I was thinking somewhere along the lines of farther away from the next city over. Like another country."

"You want that? I could get you outta here. My bruddah's friends with a guy who knows a guy in F.O.W.L. He could get you on a plane anywhere you wanna go!"

"Thanks Biff. I'll keep it in mind." She shook her head, patting him on the arm to appease him. "In the meantime, I really should at least start drafting again. He hated the first design. He wants bigger, bolder, more damaging, unlike anything anyone else has in the city right now."

"Sounds like he wants more bang for his buck."

She agreed, but didn't mention there would probably be no buck. "Yeah. Sounds like he wants..."

Their eyes met, and both of them came to the came conclusion. "Military."

" _Geez._ " She blew an exasperated sigh, slapping her hands to her face as she leaned back in her seat. "He doesn't understand what this will take...the time...the parts...this is gonna be a nightmare. And I can't NOT do it, I can't. I never in a million years thought I'd be building some death machine for him of all people."

"Do we even have the parts?"

"Do you know how often this kind of order comes up? It doesn't. Never. People don't normally _WANT_ to take out thousands of lives, they're good with just the one or two, heck, a bank robbery, settling a personal vendetta, handling territorial disputes..."

"Why come to you?" She frowned at him, and he quickly explained. "Hey, nothin' personal! I love your stuff, you know 'dat! It's just...like you said. You don't normally make that kinda thing. He's gotta know someone else who does, bein' uh...well, him and all."

"Maybe he does. Maybe they're dead now." She laughed, though it was forced. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to be next."

"So we'll order the parts you need."

"If we're talking the scope and power of that kind of quality, we're talking money we don't have. Money my father doesn't even have. I have pull, I don't have THAT much pull."

The Beagle brightened at her again, "Then we go to someone with a lot more pull! Like I said, my bruddah's buddy knows a guy who works in F.O.W.L., we can get all kinds of crazy stuff!"

"I don't really like dealing with them."

"Why not?"

"You always owe 'em. I mean, when does it end? They scratch your back, you end up scratching theirs for however long they hold it over you. They're linked to terrorism, I don't want my name mixed up in that."

"Boss, you're buildin' a military-grade weapon for a nutcase who's gonna turn it loose on the city, does it really matter at this point?"

"I didn't ask for that, it wasn't on my particular to-do list. I don't want the businesses my father built up to be leveled, I don't want people dead! But look what I do for a living! Look who I am! My entire family has done this, for years, that's all I've ever heard my whole life. _The Scapelli name, gotta keep the city in line, gotta deal with all the dirt and the trash, if we don't, who will?_ Someone worse? Look at all those freaks coming out of the woodwork, you tell me this city's not about to cave in? Yeah, I'm a dirt-bag, I sell people terrible things. But they're the ones who keep me in business." Ellie paused in her ranting, realizing she'd been pacing across the floor, her glasses having been thrown onto the table. Biff looked on, saying nothing, used to this sort of outburst, and she took a deep breath.

"Sorry. I'm sorry."

"You don't gotta justify yourself to me, Boss."

"I'm not." The Beagle gave her an amused look, and she rubbed over her muzzle. "Alright, maybe a little. I'm allowed to think out loud."

Biff stood finally, shaking his head down at her. "Y'know, you're like your dad. I respect him a lot. But you're also young. Unsure about a lotta things. Some of the stuff your father did throughout his life, maybe it keeps him awake at night. He's proud of what he built, I know 'dat, but every guy's got a few regrets."

"I know I do. But tell me this, do you ever wish you were in a different line of business? You ever wanted to come clean, live a life where you had a typical nine-to-five job, came home to a wife and kid, never had to worry about killing someone or dying?"

Biff laughed. "Nah. The family man life ain't for me. Besides, if I was off doin' that, who'd be here makin' sure you stayed outta trouble?"

Ellie grinned, "Guess I'd be in a lot of trouble then."

* * *

The few days had gone by in a painful flash. No sleep, no breaks, just desperate need to get something out. She settled on a design for a massive gun, one rivaling the once infamous Gander, built for the Gooseworx Gander family to maintain their iron grip over wars overseas.

By the fifth day, with not much but a skeletal structure and her blueprints, Negaduck came knocking. A barrel was pressed to the back of her head, accompanied by a demand to see what she'd managed so far.

"You wanted big, you got big." Ellie gestured to the drawings strewn about, exhausted. "But like I said, it takes time. I'm not asking for a year. You gotta know how hard it is to get parts for this."

"Aw _boo hoo_." He mocked. "Ain't it a sad world we live in, a guy can't even order a weapon of mass destruction without getting scammed." He leaned over, glancing at the designs. "But at least it looks better."

"If you like it, it can be yours. Just give me another two weeks."

"You got a lot of nerve, kid. A lot of nerve, and a lot of stupid. Is this how the 'best' arms dealer in St. Canard does business? I make a very simple request, I tell you my time frame, you botch it up, it just doesn't seem like you take your job seriously. So maybe I should give you more incentive. The NEXT time I come in here- tomorrow, a few days from now, a week, let's make it a _SURPRISE_...and you feed me another sob story... your muscle outside gets a few new accessories strapped to him, the explosive kind. Then you can join him!" Negaduck shoved her face first to the table with disgust. "And then your _daddy_ , when his poor heart is broken, can be reunited with you, if I'm feeling especially generous." He began to laugh, and she dared not move an inch, even though everything in her wanted nothing more than to take a shot at him. She'd never land a hit like this though.

"I'm sorry. It'll be done soon, I promise. No more excuses."

"Don't make a promise you can't keep." The mallard was done with her again, in more ways than one, and took his leave. She still didn't dare to move, realizing she'd started holding her breath.

She finally moved at the sound of a gunshot going off in the hall.

* * *

"So, Ms. Scapelli, ya said ya needed a favor, and here I am. But I gotta say, this better be worth my time, I'm a busy guy ya know."

The dog glanced around with faint amusement before her vision finally settled on the sharply dressed rooster. "Yeah, I get that." She circled her finger around. "I somehow didn't picture your place being a bowling alley."

The rooster held out his hands, looking around them, "What, why? Hey, a guy has to have a hobby, don't he? I'd like a pool and a cabana as much as the next guy, but I take whatever the Boss gives me, y'know? You get that."

"Yeah, I do." She shifted uncomfortably, "I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. I didn't know if you actually would, because usually when people say they're a friend of a friend...you know how it is. I don't really make these kinds of requests often. But I need assistance...the kind of assistance my father's partners can't provide. I'm in deep."

"How deep exactly?"

"Negaduck."

" _Ahhhhh_. That's a deep one alright! Well ain't you a lucky one! Y'know, not even F.O.W.L. wants him in, ain't that a kicker? He has to go off and make his own little group of wackos who are either a-okay with dying, or are so far gone, they don't even know what they're doin'!"

"Steelbeak, listen...I...I know I'm asking for a lot, I don't really even have the right to, I didn't earn my place in this city as anyone worth respecting, but I'm asking for my father's sake, I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my life if I have to be, I just need enough to get by. I just need a break. I'm already at a breaking point, this guy is breathing down my neck, and-"

Steelbeak held up a hand, "Yeah, yeah. Don't beg, I hate seein' a dog beg. Tell ya what, baby, I'll hook ya up with a few hand-me-downs. They're not perfect by any means, I mean, some of this junk is on the older side, it don't work the greatest, but if ya take it apart and find what you need outta 'em, I'm sure ya could get somethin' to work! It's bound to be better than whatever piddly stuff that's out on the market right now."

She chuckled, "That's true. So what do I owe you?"

"We'll work out the details later. Ya got enough pressure on ya as is, whatever that nut's got ya buildin' ain't gonna be a pretty one, I know that. Let's just say I'll call ya up one day." He grinned, his beak glinting at her in the dim lighting, and stuck out a hand. "I mean, provided he doesn't cap ya."

She shook it, but there was no relief, no real way out. People being shot only seemed to matter to her when it was someone she cared about, but wasn't it true for everyone? She could only reason that she wasn't as messed up as Negaduck because she never held the gun, but the night he had came and left, leaving Biff with a hole in his chest, she might as well have.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm sorry."

"Will you stop sayin' 'dat? It ain't your fault. I told you, I know what I signed up for."

Ellie looked down at her hands, flexing the leather around them as a distraction. She hated hospitals. Her mother had gone into one and never came out. He seemed to sense this, and he beckoned her closer.

"Hey. I ain't gonna rot in here. I'll be out before you know it. Then you'll be sick of me again." Biff tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but ended up coughing. "I'm fine. You think one bullet's gonna put me out of commission?"

"No. You're too tough for that." Ellie mustered up a smile then, grabbing his hand and gently patting over it. "You better rest up in here though. Because when you get back, you're gonna have a lot of work to do."

"Oh, well in 'dat case, I better milk my vacation as long as I can. 'Course the food here stinks, so I gotta weigh out my pros and cons."

"I'll bring you something better." She wanted to bring him more than food, she felt like no apology would ever make it right. Her mistakes were her own to amend for, he never should've been brought into it.

"So. Is he gonna help?"

"You want to talk about work while you're convalescing? You really think that'll help?"

"Hey, I'm bored to tears in here- the television sucks, the nurses give me a hard time, I need somethin' to think about!"

"Alright, alright." Ellie pulled up a chair from the other side of the room, scooting it to the side of his bed. "Steelbeak agreed to lend me some of the older weaponry. It doesn't work all that well. No idea how old some of that junk is though, gotta be at least fifteen years old, and some of it is in pretty bad shape."

"'Dat's somethin' at least."

"Yeah, something is right. I have Louie and the fellas cleaning it all up now. The faster I get this done, the better off I am. Negaduck didn't give me a date this time. He could come back at any time, and I just have to be ready."

Biff eyed her exhausted features, and she shook her head at him. "I'm not ready."

"It's okay, Boss. Nobody's ever ready when it comes to guys like him. Just look at how ready I thought I was." He grimaced as he looked down at his chest where the bandages were wrapped across.

"My dad might have been."

"Nah." Biff shook his head. "Not even your dad. He's a man of business. Old school. Respected. Guys like Negaduck just don't fit in to his world of transactions."

"Maybe I should've asked Steelbeak for a ticket out of here after all."

"Never too late, Boss." Biff laughed, and it made her smile.

* * *

"Boss, we got this stuff taken apart for ya, all laid out. But I gotta tell ya-"

Ellie sat up as her headache continued to pound, throwing glasses down onto the desk, and snapping more irately than she wanted. " _What._ "

"Well...some of it's kinda fallin' apart." The weasel that stood in the doorway shuffled anxiously. "I don't know how much mileage you're gonna get out of it. I mean if you expect to house a large caliber, the firepower this thing's gonna need- it's gonna shatter as soon as you fire it! We gotta scale this sucker down at least-"

"No. He won't like it."

"But Boss, it'll be more likely to malfunction..."

"It might, but we don't have time to test anything. He could be back any day. You gotta work to make this happen for me, Louie. I know it puts you in a tough spot, but that's just how it has to be right now."

"Okay. I got it. I'll do my best. Boss?"

"What?" She tried to sound less angry, it wasn't meant for him, and the weasel looked on, concerned etched over his features.

"You look real tired, is all. Maybe you should get some sleep? The boys and I can start..."

She forced a smile then, reaching over to slap a hand against his shoulder. "And miss all the fun? I can sleep when I'm dead."

* * *

They were meeting at a hanger this time on the opposite side of town. It was more spacious here, and although a lot of the smaller components of the weapon had been assembled at her own warehouse, the rest had been brought here to compile. Finally, after many countless nights of lost sleep and around the clock work, the gun had been completed, a sheet tossed over it. She couldn't bear to look at it anymore, her eyes instantly snapped to each shoddy mistake and problem. It was far from perfect. But in Negaduck's own words, he had never asked her for perfection. He wanted a big gun that could shoot, and as far as she was concerned, that's exactly what it was. It was his own fault if it was less than ideal, he was impatient.

She didn't need to wait long, which she was thankful for. Her nerves had plagued her for weeks now, and she didn't want anymore suspenseful buildup. When the Fearsome Five arrived, they made darn well sure she, and all of her cronies, knew it. Louie and the other boys were not accustomed to dealing with the likes of these sorts of individuals- was anyone, though?

"Well, and here I thought you'd be off hiding in a closet somewhere. You actually came through for once. Only took a little bit of prompting, too." Negaduck approached, looking up at the sheet. "So it's done?"

She glowered at the 'prompting' remark. It had been much more than that, to her. Instead, she replied, "It's done. It's what you wanted." She nodded to Louie, who looked terrified to be in the midst of this company, and he yanked the sheet down, revealing the massive weapon.

" _Oooh!_ ~ Now THAT is not a toy intended for children four and under!" Quackerjack laughed.

"It sure isn't, so hands off of it!" Negaduck snapped at him, the laughter abruptly ceasing. He began to circle it then, scrutinizing every aspect, and Ellie grew more and more nervous.

"This thing works?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"It _better_." He eyed her venomously.

"You insult me. You're the one that came to me, you gave me a ridiculous time frame. You asked for a gun, I give it to you, and then you have the audacity to question me whether it fires or not."

"If you think for even a second, you get to talk to me like that, then there's a lot you need to learn, especially if you're gonna run around actin' like the big boys." Negaduck scolded. "Now if we can't have a civilized exchange, I'll just leave you here, and they can teach you just what puts the 'Fearsome' into the 'Fearsome Five.' How's that?"

"You look a little worn out, maybe you could use a little _re-charge_ , eheheh..." Megavolt's fingers twitched with electricity, and she moved away. She wouldn't just be getting a new static hairstyle this time.

As she stumbled, she hadn't noticed Negaduck's nod to another member, and vines began to wrap around her, pinning her arms at her sides. She turned to see why and found herself grasped tightly by Bushroot, who had been quietly observing.

"I've been looking for someone to test my new toy tanks out on too- they fire real ballistic missiles!" Quackerjack had slung an arm around Louie, making him twist and turn with added panic to get out from under his grip.

"If there's anything a new product needs, it's a _guarantee_!" A figure made entirely out of water bubbled upwards, "Scapelli weaponry works, or your money back! Just pay shipping and handling fees. That's free Liquidator brand advice for you!"

"Isn't that how your family operates? Everything's just a business negotiation? So let's set the terms on a level you can understand. If I am unsatisfied in any way, in _ANY_ way, with the performance, I'm gonna hunt you down and show you just how many ways a person can die. By the time I'm done, Scapelli won't be even be a name that ever existed in this city!" The vines tightened around her as he spoke, and he reached out, grabbing her face. "You don't want that, do you?" He twisted her head sharply, keeping his grip, and she winced.

"N...no."

"I didn't think so." He released her, slapping the side of her face. "Now you're learnin' something, kid! Times change! You can't just rely on muscle and money anymore, you always gotta be one step ahead of the game, and you? You're so behind, you might as well be going backwards."

Quackerjack broke the eerie silence and laughed at the internal visual he had, and the rest of them groaned. That laugh alone was a torturous affair they had to put up with daily.

" _Shut up over there!_ " Negaduck snapped at him. "As for _you_ , you can scram. I'll be in touch." He smirked, and she knew that was true. Even if she holed up somewhere, how far could she get? A few weeks of being under pressure from his harassment had cracked her, just how many years could she endure the anxiety of being captured by him and tortured?

Bushroot's grip finally slackened, and she stepped out of the vines that entrapped her, backing away. She pried Louie out of Quackerjack's grip, who deflated at the loss of a new playmate, and began leading the weasel and the rest of her crew away.

"But what about mone-" Ellie promptly slapped a hand over his snout, glaring down at Louie, shaking her head. There was no financial gain to be had here. They were lucky they were leaving with their lives.

For now, at least.

She threw Louie into the backseat of her car as the others piled into the one behind her, and she slipped into the driver's seat, hoping they didn't gouge her tires on their way in.

"He's nuts!" Louie looked utterly traumatized as he sat up, worried eyes darting to the hanger to see if anyone would come after them. "Did we really just give this guy a war machine?!"

"Yes we did." The engine roared to life. "For free, too. _We're_ nuts."

The car sped away.

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey. How'd it go?"

Ellie dropped her gaze to the tiles, eyes glazed over. "It went as expected."

"He was happy with it?"

"I don't think that's what we call whatever emotion he has. He...he's _satisfied_ for the moment, maybe."

"Boss, you don't look so good. I thought you'd be relieved. You got it done in a month's time, that's a lot more than anyone else coulda accomplished. He's off your back now."

"Mmhm." Ellie's eyes finally met Biff's, and for once, she appeared older, tired, more drawn than anything.

"...You should get some rest. You're okay, right? Do I gotta be worried about you?" She said nothing, so he aimed for a more relaxing tactic. "Hey, you're gonna make poor ol' Biff lay in the hospital and worry about you all night! Is 'dat what you want? You wanna give a guy palpitations?" He cracked a grin, hoping to elicit some kind of chuckle out of her, but nothing came. "...You really are startin' to make me a little nervous though..."

"Don't be nervous. Everything's fine." She said suddenly, forcing a smile. "You just rest. You'll be released soon, doctor said another week, is that right?"

"I'm mostly healed, I could leave now if you-"

"No." Her smile became tight. "You stay here. It's better this way. They can keep an eye on you."

"Boss, you're really startin' to freak me out."

"I haven't always been a good example of leadership, have I?" She said suddenly, causing him to frown. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while. You worked for my dad for a long time, before you came to me. You care about him."

"...Yeah? Yeah, I owe him a lot. My life, actually. He got me out of some pretty bad situations. He's been a good friend to me. But what are you thinkin' about all 'dat for? You don't think you're as good a boss as him?"

"I'm saying that he saw you as more of a babysitter to me. That I've always been the odd one out in this family. I've always been stubborn, flying off the handle, questioning everything, doing whatever I wanted. I thought..." She laughed then. "I thought I might make them proud of me, or something. Finally, the kid was going to take things seriously, make something out of herself, all the makings and prospects of an up and coming business owner."

Biff watched her silently as she continued. "But the truth of it all...is that I'm the daughter of a Don. I never contributed anything to his empire. I didn't want any part of this life, I didn't have a choice from the second I was born. And even now, I'm making excuses, I could pack up and leave town, but what did I do? I stayed. When they handed me a gun when I was a kid, I didn't fire it, like they wanted, I took the stinkin' thing apart. I learned how to make them. And I give people like them the means to do what I've never had the guts to, because I'm not a Scapelli, I just throw the name around."

"You think that's all a Scapelli is?"

"I think we're not so different from guys like Negaduck. He's just crazy enough to pull the trigger because he doesn't operate by any rules, or laws, or code of conduct. He just does it. He doesn't have inhibitions. He's not a coward."

"Your father isn't a coward either. And if you think your family is anything like that wack-job, you're wrong."

"I don't think I'm so wrong. I think I've been content to sit back and let other people take control of my life, and I'm tired of it. I'm really tired. I think...I just handed a maniac a weapon that could kill a lot of people...and I'm hoping it breaks before it does. Because if it doesn't, if he goes through with it all...I guess the name Scapelli will have a different definition to it, when it's all said and done, and I don't know if I can live with that."

Biff shifted in from his place on the bed, sighing heavily. "Sometimes those are the choices we're left with. Your father didn't get to be where he is not because he made the right choice every single time, but because he made sure he knew the consequences of his choices. And then you deal with 'em. You made a choice, and maybe a lot of people get hurt...you gotta deal with what 'dat means for you, for what you wanna keep on doing."

"You make it sound like I chose to do this because I wanted to. Like our lives aren't on the line, like there's no ante."

"Sure there's an ante. You both had an ante in this. He singled out the people who meant somethin' to you. He made you feel like you had somethin' to prove. You didn't like it, you chose to play against it, putting others at risk. 'Dat's a choice you made, Boss. I ain't sayin' whether it's right or wrong. I don't have a pillar to judge from, it ain't my business. But you gotta own up to it now. Sink or swim."

"You're way better at this than I am sometimes, you know that? You should have some gang somewhere, calling the shots."

Biff smiled, reaching over to nudge her arm. "I have 'dat already. And I don't do shot callin'. I like it just where I am. And dat's where ever you are. You got 'dat? Crappy calls or not."

"So he finally admits it!" Ellie grinned. "It was a bad choice on my part. Won't happen again, I assure you. We'll get on a plane next time, first thing, I promise."

"Good, and it better be somewhere warm, a nice sandy beach, blue skies..."

"I was thinking you could show me that sweet hideout outside of Duckburg you mentioned, wasn't that the place to be? The hot spot of the season?"

"Yeah, I was thinkin' a little farther than 'dat."

They laughed, and she reached over, giving his hand a tight squeeze, her expression becoming tired again. "I'd better go now."

"Boss, promise me you'll get some sleep. You really need it. You're thinkin' too much."

"I will, Biff."

"I'll see you tomorrow." He watched her leave, and she smiled at him once more from over her shoulder before shuffling back into the hall.

She promised she'd get some sleep, but she never promised a tomorrow. Never make a promise you can't keep, or so she was learning.


	4. Chapter 4

The night was bustling with activity, and there was no exception to St. Canard's local hero and his sidekick, either. Armed and ready for any disturbance, the mighty mallard was out patrolling in the Ratcatcher, ready and keeping a vigilant eye.

"Eh, D.W. maybe we should call it a night. It seems pretty quiet."

Darkwing looked at him incredulously. "Have you lost it, Launchpad?! That's just what the vile, venomous vermin of this city want you to think! They want you to retreat to your cozy abode, none the wiser! That's when they strike! Have I taught you nothing?!"

"Well sure, but..." Launchpad sniffled loudly, pointing to his beak. "I think I'm comin' down with something. So a cozy night at home doesn't sound too bad actually..."

"A mere head cold, and you want to hand St. Canard over on a silver platter to the malicious, malevolent mass murderers that could be roaming our streets at this very second?! For shame, Launchpad!"

"I'm sorry D.W., you're right. I guess it's just that it's kinda boring driving around with nothing to do, makes me concentrate on the little stuff more."

"Well why don't you maybe, oh, I don't know, look around and see if you can spot any highly illegal activity? Heck, I'll settle for jaywalking at this point."

"Will do!" Launchpad watched from his sidecar as they drove. There were a lot of shoppers out, it was close to the holiday season, so of course they wanted to get their super deals and bargains. Not a single snowflake had fallen so far though. Maybe winter was coming late this year.

"Ooh, D.W., look, a sale on vacuums! The new Dust Buster 5000, it's supposed to clean your house for you and then return to its charging dock all by itself! No hands needed!" Launchpad's excited expression was met with a less than amused one. "Right, highly illegal activity..." He sighed then. "But that price WAS a steal..."

"Launchpad please! A little less shopping, a little more vigilance?! Though I have read outstanding reviews on that particular model..."

" _OH NO, THIS IS TERRIBLE!_ "

"Yeah, you'd almost think some of these consumers were being paid off!"

" _NO, D.W., LOOK! IT'S THE FEARSOME FIVE AT CITY HALL!_ "

" _FEARSOME FIVE?!_ " The Ratcatcher squealed to an abrupt halt as the street ahead gave way to a terrified mass of people looking up at St. Canard's most vile.

City Hall was the best place to get attention, but the Fearsome Five hardly needed a prime location, their reputation proceeded them.

"Well, well, well!" Negaduck caught eye of his doppelganger first, a sharp grin spreading across his maw. "If it ain't the dimwitted duo themselves! Took ya long enough! I thought I'd have to start blowing stuff up to get your attention."

Quackerjack bounced over, taking out a remote control- those usually spelled trouble. On cue, a toy tank drove into view and its gun rose, to which Darkwing scoffed, unimpressed. One click of a button however proved otherwise, as it fired a missile that Launchpad and Darkwing dove to miss, and it exploded on impact into a nearby shop. The small weapon had provided a sizeable blast into the side of the building, the glass front of the store having been completely blown out, bricks in a heaping pile of rubble. The jester laughed manically as the crowd scrambled, screaming, and Negaduck's own laughter joined in.

"Might as well! I hate wasting firepower! Speakin' of which, you're gonna LOVE this." Negaduck's smile became absolutely wicked, as he gestured above them to the top of City Hall.

There sat the weapon that would annihilate their city. The firepower could level buildings, tear up streets, and make suburban paradises disappear, all with a simple push of a button.

"This lil' baby's gonna blow you away! Along with this whole stinkin' city. Consider it an early present!"

"You've sunken to lows before, but this is the lowest of lows!" Darkwing dusted himself off, Launchpad stumbling to his feet behind him. "Your fight is with me! There's no need to bring the rest of St. Canard into it!"

"Sure there is! I hate this city almost as much as I hate you! And if you don't mind, I've been waitin' ages to test this sweetheart out, so if you could just _hang out_ for a while-"

Darkwing's face met the earth abruptly, and he took a mouthful of crumbling asphalt up with him as Bushroot's vines lifted him by his ankles.

" _HANG OUT!_ That was a good one!" Quackerjack howled with laughter, reaching out to give Negaduck a highfive, but was met with a smack to his face instead, sending him spinning away.

" _Shaddap_! Now how's about we make our guest feel a little more welcome! After all, he needs a good seat to watch the demise of his hometown!"

"D.W.!" Launchpad made a jump to reach for his partner, but was met with water instead, the force of the liquid churning him through and around like a funnel.

"A little electric libation for you?~" Megavolt jeered with a chuckle, sending a current towards Liquidator's puddle that traveled up and through Launchpad's prison. Liquidator collapsed from the voltage, dropping a now unconscious Launchpad to the ground.

"You've got to warn me before doing that!" Liquidator yelled, "Side effects are unpleasant and can include disorientation, nausea, and a nasty disposition!"

"But you make such a good conductor!" Megavolt whined. "What good is having a team if I can't bounce a little electricity off of you now and then?"

"Consent is required!" Liquidator snapped back at him, his form starting to bubble with anger.

A simple sound of a revving chainsaw was enough to bring the disagreement to an end, Negaduck's seething look of impatience stretched across his bill, his beloved weapon in his hands.

"What good is a team that _WON'T DO WHAT I SAY?!_ I want that purple caped dunderhead tied to the city's highest skyscraper, so he can watch me tear this place apart, piece by stinkin' piece! No more crying and whining, or I'll give you something to cry and whine about, ya got that?!"

"Or how about I give _you_ something to cry about?"

Negaduck turned, his eyes meeting with an overly familiar pair, and he felt his rage skyrocket.

"Sorry Negaduck!" Bushroot cried, his vines writhing from the chop Darkwing had given them with a pair of previously concealed gardening shears.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you-" Negaduck hissed, raising his chainsaw, "That you can't bring shears to a gunfight?!" He sliced through the air, and his doppelganger ducked.

"And hasn't anyone ever told you-" Darkwing retorted, "That a chainsaw is not a gun?"

" _YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!_ "

"I do, and I also know that your reign of crime and repugnant, reckless, and ruthless rioting is about to come to an end!"

"I hate it when you do that." Negaduck sneered, lunging at him again, and Darkwing side-stepped, the edge of his cape tearing against the blade.

"And I hate it when you threaten my home you cretinous creep!" He reached for his gas gun, aiming for the top of City Hall. "Time to dismantle that little toy of yours-"

"Well if you wanted to play, all you had to do was _ASK_ , you silly!" Quackerjack bounced at him as he attempted to grapple to the roof of the building, raising a comically large mallet into the air and bringing it down.

"Too slow, Quacky! Your timing could use some work!" Darkwing called as he swung up to the roof, and the mad mallard glared after him, sticking out a tongue in a disapproving raspberry.

" _WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING STANDING AROUND AND GAWKING FOR, GET HIM!_ " Negaduck yelled. His night was not going to end in failure, not this time.

"Need a lift?" Bushroot offered, plunging a vine into the exposed dirt the earlier explosion had churned up under the street, and it burrowed underneath the ground before exploding out of the grass around the building, forming a leafy platform underneath Quackerjack, Liquidator, and Megavolt, depositing them atop the roof.

"Come on _Dorkwing_ , can't you let a guy have any fun for once?" Megavolt charged up, preparing to send a zap his way.

"So it'll be _FUN_ for you, when he blows up the RadioQuack down the street? How about the home appliance section of Duckington's? I thought you of all people would frown upon senseless violence against the innocents within those buildings, Megs, but I guess I learn something new about you every day!"

This gave Megavolt pause as he thought it over, his expression morphing into one of horror. "He _wouldn't!_ "

"Shows how well you know him!" Darkwing fired his gas gun, a water balloon firing out instead of the usual knock out gas, hitting Megavolt square in the chest.

The rat instantly began to fry, his spasms sending him crashing against his partners in crime, causing them to land in a scrambled heap against the rooftop.

Darkwing span his gun expertly around his fingers, blowing off the nozzle. "A-yup, yup, yup!~ I'll have to tell Gosalyn how the new water balloon chamber worked out. Not bad, if I do say so myself!"

"Celebrate while you can!" Negaduck called down from his platform, and Darkwing turned abruptly, craning his head to see his enemy now perched at his gun, ready to fire, and cackling gleefully.

"'Cuz pretty soon, you won't have anyone to celebrate with! I hope you like your city smoldering!" His fist collided with the switch, powering the massive weapon to life as the turret gun raised up and out. "How about downtown first?!" The crazed duck rotated the levers around on the control panel to align it.

"Not if I have anything to say about it...and I have a lot to say about it! Mainly, _NO_!" Darkwing sprang up to tackle him, but felt the returning constriction from before, realizing that Bushroot was the last remaining member that had missed Megavolt's backfired charge. He struggled in the confines, his arms tightened at his sides from the vines that coiled around his middle, squeezing the breath out of him.

Launchpad had finally come to, coughing out a mouthful of water and shaking off the tingling feeling that had spread throughout his whole body.

"Yikes, I feel like I got into a fight with a lamp during a pool party! Again. I wonder where D.W. wen- _OH BOY!_ " Launchpad gazed up at the large, newly activated weapon, slapping a hand to his head. He looked to Bushroot, quite literally planted a few feet away, then to where his partner was strung up in the air like a sad, oxygen deprived pinata. "D.W., don't worry, I'll get you down!"

" _Launchpad-_ " Darkwing choked out, trying to squeeze out of the hold. He could do this, he just had to contort the right way, and maybe avoid donuts for a few weeks to prepare for this sort of thing.

"HOLD ON!"

" _That'll...be...pretty...easy..._ " Darkwing rolled his eyes, clenching his teeth as he felt a bone pop from Bushroot's wringing. " _Thanks...been meaning to...see...a chiropractor!_ "

Launchpad grabbed up Quackerjack's discarded remote control and tank, pushing buttons on it frantically. "Oh come on, don't tell me the batteries already wore out on this thing!" The tiny toy tank's turret turned to face Bushroot with success and raised its gun, firing another missile that shot out the ground below the mutant.

" _HEY!_ That was a low blow!" Bushroot cried out, sinking into the rubble from the newly formed sinkhole, and his vines abruptly let Darkwing go, sending him plummeting to the ground.

Launchpad tossed the remote control over his shoulder and ran, catching him before he landed, and Darkwing coughed, able to breathe freely again.

" _Thanks..._ " Darkwing's relieved expression didn't last long, his worried gaze returning up towards the roof, but the distraction had given Negaduck the time he needed to fire.

Words escaped the duo as the blast sent out a massive caliber that exploded into the middle of the city. Cars were sent flying, several businesses crumbled from the hit, and the entire central square was a scene of chaos and destruction. Darkwing could hear the screams of terror and the sound of buildings falling into heaps. It made his heart plummet along with them.

Negaduck was enjoying the view immensely, smoke billowing from the muzzle. He was practically salivating at the level of destruction, it had looked as though a meteor had created a crater straight through the city. He turned to gloat with glee down at his enemy. "We can't leave those suburbanites out of the fun either now, can we?!" He input new coordinates, the turret winding around to aim at the neighboring rows of houses.

" _Gosalyn!_ " Darkwing was scrambling then, his grappling hook sailing through the air to latch onto City Hall.

But for what happened next...no one was prepared. Just as Negaduck thought the fate of St. Canard was sealed, the smoke billowing out of the muzzle of the gun grew ever stronger, creating a cloud. The gun was made to fire again, but this time, the chamber backfired, the ammunition becoming jammed inside of it. There was a horrible creaking noise that could barely be heard over the sound of the city caving in on itself, but it was distinct enough to where even Negaduck knew something was going wrong.

"Are you _KIDDING_ me?!" Negaduck kicked at the panels, "You piece of _JUNK_ , I knew you were a pile of crap! _WHY. WON'T. YOU. SHOOT?!_ " Each kick did nothing to jostle the gun into working order, and finally, the turret stopped moving all together. " _YOU SCRAP HEAP! JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON THAT LITTLE-_ "

Darkwing had swung upwards into the air, depositing Quackerjack's toy tank into the barrel of the heated gun. With an a-okay to Launchpad who pressed the switch on the remote, Negaduck knew all too well what was about to be leveled next.

" ** _Motherducke-..._** "

Kaboom went City Hall.


	5. Chapter 5

There was a pounding sensation throbbing at her skull. As she blinked her swimming vision away, she caught sight of a lone hanging lamp above her, shining down, but the rest of the surrounding area was dark. At first, she wondered why she couldn't move, but her thoughts soon gave way to comprehension.

She was tied up.

She dropped her head back down, the corner of her mouth raising in understanding.

" _You know..._ " She felt the voice closing in on her from everywhere. There was no escaping now, not that she had ever made an attempt before he'd found her. " _If I didn't know better...I'd almost say you did this to me on_ _ **purpose.**_ "

In some ways, maybe it was true. She couldn't fool herself with this one. This was no collector or weapons enthusiast. This wasn't a friend of the family's that needed a little extra protection at night. This was a psychopath that never concealed his intentions, it was cold, hard facts right in front of her. She was just as guilty for supplying these things to the murderers that used them, and no justification made up for it. She was a horrible person who would pay for her choices, in one way or another. This was part of growing up, you took responsibility for your actions. Her father did, and now she would.

There was a faint sound, something being moved, but her straining eyes couldn't pick up much of anything. She finally heard a scuffle of footsteps against the floor, and the person she saw before her was in far worse shape than she'd last seen.

"... _Wow._ You've looked better, haven't you?" She managed a croaky laugh, grinning, and those enraged eyes narrowed down at her.

" _And who's fault is that?_ " He snapped at her. " _You don't look so good yourself._ "

"I think you split my skull to get me here, I imagine not."

" _Oh don't worry._ " The mallard crooned in a mocking tone. " _That's the least of your problems._ " He disappeared from the light again with a slight limp.

"See, I was _thinkin'_ about just what I was gonna use on you that would result in the most painful and agonizing of deaths. Oh sure, I had a lot of good ideas- driving over your body with a tank, dunking your head in acid, throwing you into the nearest active volcano, cutting you up into _itty bitty tiny pieces_ and scattering them into the bay- and then it occurred to me that it would just never be good enough!"

"Even after I killed you, there would still be this... _longing_ , to inflict misery and humiliation onto you, but you wouldn't be there, so I'd have to take it out on random idiots, and it just wouldn't be the same. I want to kill random idiots just because it's _fun_ , not because I wish every knob on the street was _YOU._ "

"So finally, I thought, if I can't decide on how to kill you, why don't I just use _EVERYTHING?!_ " There was a click, and as each hanging lamp flickered on from above, the sight before her was all too familiar now.

This was _her_ warehouse.

These were _her_ weapons.

He returned to her view, hands behind his back, and a sharp grin across his bruised and charred face. "It's the perfect recipe, ain't it?! A little bit of everything! Since your work's trash, and you along with it, I'm really doing everybody a favor here anyway. And I thought you might like to see firsthand..." He revealed the explosives he had, tucking them into the ropes that bound her. The last was a stick of dynamite he shoved straight into her maw, causing her to choke on the intrusive object. "... _What it feels like, to be blown sky-high._ " He patted her cheek, a gleefully nasty chuckle emerging. "I did promise I'd show ya, didn't I, kid?!"

She tried to spit the dynamite from her mouth, squirming in her confines, and he made a sharp noise of disapproval. " _Aw, what?_ You don't wanna die? I **love** bein' the bearer of bad news, so here it is- life is just full of disappointments. You disappointed me. Your daddy dearest is gonna be disappointed in you. And _you_ , well, your story ends here, so I guess that's pretty disappointing for you! Real cathartic for me though." He took out a lighter from his pocket, flicking it on, and deftly lit the end of the fuse.

" _Welp!_ Have a nice flight, kiddo! Guess it won't be an open casket at your funeral."

The mallard gave her a wave, laughing as he staggered out of her view once more and out the door. She glanced down at the stick of dynamite still in her mouth, watching as the flame climbed the fuse, and she struggled full force against her binds once more. She usually kept a few things on her- a gun, which he night have found and confiscated anyway, but there was also a pocket knife. If she could reach it, she could at least attempt to cut through the binds and break free. In the end though, would she make it far? Would it matter? She didn't want to die, but what made life worth living at this point? Even if she did make it out of St. Canard alive, could she live with herself over the suffering she'd caused at such a large scale?

As she sat and contemplated, she heard the hiss of the flame growing ever closer, realizing that time was slowly but surely running out for her. Her last few moments left in this world would be spent in a place filled with the culmination of her life's work, which amounted only to destruction and ruin.

She finally wedged her tongue against the stick of dynamite, spitting it out into her lap, coughing as she stared down at it...and it was at this very moment that she heard another sound begin to fill the quiet warehouse.

 _Ticking._

Beeping.

The explosive rolled from her lap, landing at her feet, and she looked out at the rows upon rows of specialty explosives she had hand fashioned and rigged herself- hours of work, and they all resulted in just mere seconds left in a pitiful offering back to their creator.

Negaduck had turned on every single one of them. The dynamite had only been the cherry.

 _Ten seconds._

Even if he hadn't turned them on, there had been enough gunpowder there to send the whole thing into a hellish inferno anyway.

 _Nine seconds._

She wouldn't have ever made it out.

 _Eight seconds._

How many people had ended up being hurt because of her?

 _Seven seconds._

She could've done something better with her life.

 _Six seconds._

Maybe even made a difference, even if heroes were cheesy and better as ideas than actual people.

 _Five seconds.  
_  
Speaking of which, a hero might not be such a bad concept right about now. Where was that terror that flapped in the night? Too busy flapping, she supposed.

 _Four seconds._

He was probably saving the city from what she had been too cowardly to face.

 _Three seconds._

She wouldn't blame her father for being disappointed in her. Life was full of disappointments, after all.

 _Two seconds._

Life was full of a _lot_ of things she had missed out on.

 _One second._

" _Goodbye, Biff._ "

* * *

"We interrupt tonight's current broadcast to give you the latest in breaking news. St. Canard was under violent attack tonight, the acts of terrorism led by the Fearsome Five. There have been injuries estimated in the hundreds sustained by victims of the act. Several businesses have been destroyed in the blasts that have proceeded around the city. Officials are urging citizens to get to areas of safety due to unsafe infrastructures. Three of the five criminals have been apprehended and are in police custody, thanks to the efforts of the self-proclaimed vigilante, Darkwing Duck. The remaining two are still at large, and authorities are combing the area via helicopter in efforts to find them. If you have any information regarding sightings of the two shown, contact the police at once and avoid confrontation with these individuals, as they are believed to be armed and dangerous.

On the east side of the city, further blasts have been confirmed. Whether or not this is in direct connection with the terror acts earlier this evening have not been indicated. Authorities are investigating the area now, saying the explosion may have come from a warehouse belonging to Antonio Scapelli. Death counts have not been disclosed officially at this time, but the St. Canard General Hospital has been overrun with emergency cases due to the night's events. We will continue to update the public as more details are unveiled. Stay safe out there."

" _Boss..._ "

Biff sat up in his hospital bed, watching the television with a gut-wrenching feeling. As the camera panned through horrific images of the city, the fires, and the state of what had once been her warehouse, he could only hope she had somehow gotten out of there in one piece, but the likelihood of it was slim to none.

The next video footage on the screen was the caped crusader himself, a taped interview from one of the reporters on the scene at the time.

" _Citizens of St. Canard! Your fear and panic is completely understandable, but I assure you that these cruel and crazed criminals will be punished for their crimes against you, on this night, and every other night that they dare to hurt this city I love! I will not rest until justice is served, or my name isn't Darkwing Duck!_ "

Justice would indeed be served.


End file.
